Your career center provides valuable foundations, but they typically serve thousands of students with limited resources. PrepU gives you a dedicated account manager and professional team actively working on your behalf. We don't just advise—we implement campaigns, engage with employers, and manage outreach at scale. Think of us as your personal marketing team focused exclusively on landing you interviews that match your goals.
We implement a comprehensive strategy to launch your career. First, we build your professional brand by optimizing your LinkedIn profile, strengthening your resume, and creating a personal website. Then we identify 100+ target companies and use AI-powered tools to reach out to hundreds of potential employers with personalized messaging. We actively engage with these companies on your behalf and prepare you thoroughly for every interview opportunity. All while you focus on finishing your degree.
We handle the heavy lifting, but your input is crucial for success. Plan for 3-4 hours initially for assessment, strategy development, and profile information. After that, you'll need about 1-2 hours weekly for progress reviews and interview preparation as opportunities develop. This balanced approach allows you to maintain focus on academics while still playing an active role in your job search success.
Handshake is a job board where you compete with thousands of students forposted positions. PrepU proactively connects you with employers—even those not actively posting jobs. While Handshake requires you to do everything yourself, PrepU works on your behalf, optimizing your materials and conducting outreach at scale. Handshake is simply a platform you use; PrepU is a comprehensive service implementing professional strategies for you while you focus on your studies.
Ideally, start 6-9 months before you want a position. For full-time roles after graduation, begin in fall of senior year. For internships, start in early fall of the preceding academic year (many top internships are filled by December).That said, we can create effective campaigns at any point, adjusting our approach based on timeline. The earlier you start, the more runway we haveto build relationships with target companies.
You'll receive weekly reports tracking all campaign metrics including connections made, responses received, and interviews scheduled. Our dashboard provides complete transparency into campaign performance. Typically, students begin receiving responses within 2-3 weeks and interview requests within 3-6 weeks. Most PrepU clients secure 10-15 informational interviews with relevant employers in their target industries during our engagement.
Yes! We work with students across all academic disciplines, from business and engineering to liberal arts and sciences. Our approach is entirely customized to your specific background, skills, and career goals. We identify companies and roles that align with your unique qualifications and interests, ensuring all outreach is relevant to your specific career direction.
Our systems connect with hundreds of employers using personalized messaging where you might reach only 10-20 weekly. We bring expertise in optimization that increases response rates. Most importantly, we engage with companies on your behalf, creating recognition with hiring managers before you apply, transforming you from unknown applicant to familiar name—the key advantage in today's competitive market.
Not at all! We specialize in helping students with limited professional experience. We know how to effectively position academic projects, coursework, campus involvement, and transferable skills to highlight your potential value to employers. Our approach is specifically designed for students launching their first professional roles, not experienced professionals changing positions.
Absolutely! Internships are crucial stepping stones to full-time offers, with 70% of interns receiving full-time offers from their employers. We tailor our strategies specifically for internship searches, knowing the timelines are different (often earlier) than for full-time positions. Our campaigns target both internship coordinators and hiring managers, positioning you for opportunities that align with your academic timeline and career goals.